The present invention relates generally to apparatus for dispensing wafer-like objects and relates more particularly to apparatus for dispensing stacks of cookies into the pockets of cookie packaging trays.
The packaging of cookies and especially the thin wafer-like variety of cookie requires special considerations due to the extremely fragile and perishable nature of the product. Not only must great care be exercised to guard against breakage during the filling of the cookie shipping containers, but in addition the containers themselves must be designed with sufficient strength to prevent disintegration of the cookies during shipment and storage. Furthermore, the containers must be sealed and airtight to prevent the entrance of moisture and foreign matter which could cause a spoilage of the cookies.
Some forms of cookies such as the familiar ginger snaps have sufficient inherent strength to permit packaging by loose bagging, with the bag being sealed and shipped within a protective cardboard box. More delicate cookies, however, cannot be packaged in such random fashion and must be packaged in compartmented containers with each compartment containing a stack of a predetermined number of cookies. In one form of such package which the present invention is adapted to fill, a tray of plastic material is provided with a plurality of cookie pockets, each of which receives and holds a stack of cookies of a predetermined number, usually ranging from four to seven. The tray, which protects the cookies against breakage during shipping and storage, is inserted after filling into a box or bag which is sealed to prevent the entrance of contaminants.
Heretofore, the trays have been manually filled with the cookie stacks, an operation which requires a substantial number or workers. Not only are high labor costs incurred, but in addition the manual handling of the fragile cookies often results in cookie breakage.
It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for dispensing stacks of cookies into the pockets of cookie packaging trays which minimizes the manual handling of the cookies.
A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus as described which will operate at a high rate of speed but will handle the cookies in a gentle fashion and essentially eliminate cookie breakage.
Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus as described which is readily adjustable to operate with cookies of different thicknesses as well as trays of different sizes and of different pocket configurations.
A still further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus as described which can be operated by relatively unskilled operators with a minimal amount of training.